Fume collectors have been known for some time and are widely available for use with conventional welding torches. These devices are associated with a welding torch wherein as the welding proceeds, dense volumes of fume are produced which are forcibly removed by creating a partial vacuum in a sleeve disposed near the nozzle of the torch. The fume is sucked away from the torch head through a conduit and disposed of in a safe manner as is well known in the air handling art.
Insofar as the Air-Carbon Arc Cutting and Gouging Process is concerned and any other process that would generate fume and/or slag U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,038 discloses a device for removing solid particulate matter from the vicinity of the arc. The device of the '038 patent has been available for some time as a hand held tool or a machine mounted tool that must be used in close proximity to an air-carbon arc cutting and gouging torch. While the device of the '038 patent will remove some process generated fume, it will not provide the type of atmosphere movement to comply with current air pollution requirements. Furthermore, a device of this type will become quickly clogged by process generated slag since the slag will adhere to the mouth as well as the walls of the nozzle.
The literature shows that in Japan installations employing the Air-Carbon Arc Cutting and Gouging Process have utilized conventional cutting tables with a water bath to collect slag generated by the process. The Japanese have further combined the conventional water table with an acoustically lined hood to contain fume and to control the noise level of the process in the immediate environment of the process user. The heavy slag particles are free falling into a receptacle in the lower part of the apparatus which contains the water. Slag handled in this manner will stick together, or fuse into a solid mass and also will adhere to the side walls of the receptacle, thus necessitating mechanical removal of the slag from the walls. This type of apparatus is not readily portable and requires a fixed installation where the workpiece must be transported to the installation to be treated.